James Toney: Klitschkos Been Ducking Me For 12 Years!

By Luis Sandoval

Former world champion James “Lights Out” Toney (74-7, 45KOs) is set to step back in the ring April 28th as he will travel to Australia to take on undefeated Lucas Browne (15-0, 14KOs) in a Heavyweight bout. Toney is now 44 years old and while he’s in the deep twilight of his career, he has no plans to hang the gloves up anytime soon.

BoxingScene caught up with Toney who’s never been at a loss for words and that still has not changed. Toney used 2010 to try his hand at Mixed Martial Arts which didn’t go over too well as he lost his first match and was immediately released by the UFC. Now that he’s back focused on boxing, he says his lack of activity has to do with other fighters and not himself.

“Well it's not my fault I ain't been fighting. Everybody is scared to fight. I'm supposed to be an old guy; I'm supposed to be short, fat, and out of shape and past my prime but ain't nobody fighting me. Finally this guy Lucas Browne from Australia [is and] we're going to get it on” said Toney.

James will be taking on a Browne who is 11 years younger and whose record indicates he’s a knockout artist as only one of his 15 opponents has gone the distance. Toney assures he isn’t worried about that and feels that if anyone is going to be administering a knockout, it’s going to be him.

Toney also shared his views on the less than stellar current Heavyweight division. For years now, the division that once carried the sport has been in shambles with no savior in sight. When Toney was asked about his thoughts he not only criticized the division but also the two guys who are currently atop of it.

“It sucks. The Klitschko's, they're holding everybody hostage over in Germany. They feel safe over there. They're in protective custody. Me, I'm going to defend my heavyweight titles here or go over to Australia and then come back here and knock out everybody in sight. Lights out, they ain't pay the electric bill” said the former Cruiserweight champion.

Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko definitely have a strong hold on the Heavyweight division as all 4 major world heavyweight titles are in their possession and they’ve made it clear they don’t ever plan to fight each other. While most might not even ponder a fight with Toney and one of the Klitschko’s, it didn’t stop Toney from sharing his thoughts on them.

“How are they dominant? They ain't fighting nobody! They're fighting guys past their prime who can't even spell fighter. Jean [Marc] Mormeck and I can't even say the rest of the guys they’re fighting. When are they going to fight somebody with a pulse? They're fighting dead men over in Germany and they ain't doing nothing. Come over, they got to see me. They've been ducking me for 12 years now” Toney would tell BoxingScene.

It will be a year since Toney has fought when he steps in the ring against Browne in Australia and though he’s said it’s been difficult to get fights, he plans to have a homecoming fight in the United States after this bout. We’ve seen guys like Bernard Hopkins defy father time; we’ll find out if Toney can do the same or if he’s simply ignoring him.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.

[QUOTE=billeau2;13210631]MS you can pretty much assume most fighters will be harassed by the IRS. Nobody ever truly knows how much they are taxed...well a few guys make it, like Larry Holmes. Toney is hardly exceptional in this regard[/QUOTE]
Like many…

[QUOTE=Main Source;13205100]
I have only followed Toney's boxing journey and not his private life but is he really in financial trouble?
[/QUOTE]
Yes he is.
[B]James “Lights Out” Toney Owes $353,966 in Back Taxes[/B]
"The puzzlement of Rafael and many…

[QUOTE=Main Source;13205100]I'm a fan of his and I do hope he is healthy along with his family. It saddens me to see one of my favorite boxing heroes ending his career in money debt and with physical damages. He was…